Yearning For Warmth, Day and Night - Chapter 26
Chapter 26: Returning Home
“Little sister, I’m giving you a chance to say it again. Whose girlfriend are you?”
“Why is there another one fantasizing about Huihui? Doesn’t she know she’s mine?”
“Hey, little sister, as long as you like Huihui, then you’re our group’s love rival!”
“Yue Ming, where did this little girl come from? She doesn’t understand the rules at all. Doesn’t she know about queuing?”
Eleven wasn’t a fast reader, and messages kept popping up one after another. She’d read the previous one, just about to reply, when the words were already typed, and they had already moved on to the next question. After a while, she held up her phone, and Du Yue Ming beside her couldn’t help but laugh at her troubled little face: “Eleven, are you really from another dimension?”
“Why do you type so slowly? You can’t even use a phone. It’s truly illogical!”
Eleven bit her lip and said, “I’ve never used a phone before.”
Du Yue Ming, puzzled, asked, “Why?”
Eleven lowered her head: “I was very poor, couldn’t afford one.”
Du Yue Ming’s ready smile froze. She hadn’t expected that reason. In her world, she had never worried about money. Even her friends came from similar backgrounds. She had truly never encountered someone so poor they couldn’t afford a phone.
If someone had told her this on a normal day, Du Yue Ming would have definitely thought they were joking, but Eleven, standing in front of her, made her feel that she wasn’t lying.
“You…” Why didn’t you have money, where was your family, all sorts of questions swirled on her tongue, but she realized none of them were quite appropriate. So, she simply changed the subject, saying, “It’s good that you can use it now.”
“Everyone’s like this when they first use a phone, unaccustomed. You’ll get used to it slowly.”
“If there’s anything you don’t understand, just ask me. It’s very simple.”
She said this, awkwardly picking up her own phone, not even knowing what she was saying. When had she, who was always so carefree, become so good at comforting people? Du Yue Ming even felt embarrassed after saying it. She saw that the group chat was still dwelling on Eleven’s statement. These “sisters” were used to talking nonsense and fantasizing about Wei Hui, even secretly gossiping about Wei Hui’s preferences. So, upon seeing someone claiming to be her girlfriend, they immediately erupted. Du Yue Ming typed: What nonsense! She really is CEO Wei’s girlfriend, okay?!
The group chat visibly cooled down, then exploded into unprecedented liveliness. Even some of the usually quiet “sisters” started going wild: “What did you say?”
“I don’t believe it.”
“Yue Ming isn’t comfortable unless she’s lying to me for a day.”
“If Huihui really falls in love, it’ll probably be with Shen Hao, right?”
“I heard Shen Hao went all out this time, even giving away the unfinished building for the sake of his beloved.”
Du Yue Ming watched these “sisters” in the group refusing to believe the truth and couldn’t help but shake her head in disappointment. She had originally hoped they would help her dig out more gossip.
Eleven, however, looked at the group with some concern. Wei Hui had never spoken about her relationship with Eleven. Although it seemed to everyone that they had a relationship, this was different from spreading it around. She was afraid that such widespread dissemination would harm Wei Hui’s reputation. So, she tugged on Du Yue Ming’s arm and said, “Miss Du, I think I should leave this group.”
Du Yue Ming, thinking Eleven was upset, immediately consoled her: “It’s fine, they’re just used to messing around. I’ll talk to them in a bit.”
“It’s not…” Before Eleven could finish her sentence, she heard someone call her: “Eleven.”
The voice was clear and cold, and she knew it was Wei Hui. Indeed, she turned and saw Wei Hui looking at her, calling out: “Eleven.”
She let go of Du Yue Ming, walked over, and politely lowered her head: “Third Miss.”
“Let’s have dinner together tonight,” Du Yuehan, standing beside Wei Hui, said. “Grandpa hasn’t seen you in a long time either, don’t spoil the old man’s mood.”
The two had just finished discussing the follow-up details for the unfinished building, and the Du family had decided to proceed, so Wei Hui was in a good mood. Hearing his words, she nodded slightly: “Then I’ll trouble CEO Du.”
Du Yuehan’s handsome face wore a smile as he said to Wei Hui, “No trouble at all. I’ll go to Grandpa’s side first.” He then looked at Du Yue Ming: “Come with me.”
Unlike his attitude toward Wei Hui just now, he looked at Du Yue Ming with a stern face, quite severe. Du Yue Ming, who had never feared her parents, only feared her two elder brothers. Now, seeing him like this, she felt a tingling scalp and said, “Coming.”
“Why so fierce?”
“What were you just chatting about with the guest?”
“Nothing, just small talk. Oh, that Eleven, my friend…”
Fragmented sounds of conversation drifted over. Wei Hui turned her head to glance, but said nothing. She knew Du Yue Ming’s character; even when they were in school, she loved to be around pretty girls and even formed a “sister gang,” trying to pull Wei Hui in. Only after Wei Hui coldly refused several times did Du Yue Ming become more well-behaved. However, every time they met, Du Yue Ming’s gaze was still direct, openly showing her interest, just like her gaze at Eleven moments ago.
Wei Hui uncharacteristically spoke up: “What were you just talking about?”
Eleven hadn’t expected her to ask directly, her thoughts scattered. She looked up at Wei Hui, meeting her clear, cold eyes. Eleven bit her lip: “Nothing.”
She finished speaking, her right hand clutching her phone. The constant vibration indicated that the group chat was active. She softly said, “Third Miss, Miss Du said some things just now.”
Wei Hui nodded slightly, standing against the wind. Her long hair blew back, revealing her fair forehead and beautiful face, her profile aloof: “What did she say?”
Eleven stood beside her, thought for a while, and then recounted what Du Yue Ming had just done. At the end, she said, “I’m sorry, I didn’t know she…”
Everything happened too fast, she simply didn’t have time to stop it.
After listening, the corners of Wei Hui’s lips curved, a familiar sight to Eleven. When she smiled, her lips also curved slightly, her smile very faint, completely unlike Du Yue Ming’s uninhibited and flamboyant smile from before.
She looked at Wei Hui like this and suddenly wondered, what would the Third Miss be like if she smiled brightly?
Would it be more captivating than flowers?
Eleven seemed to imagine that scene, her heart pounding fiercely. She stared at Wei Hui, hearing her say, “It’s no big deal.”
Since she brought Eleven to the Shen family banquet and then to the Du family, it meant she intended for people to know about Eleven’s existence and wasn’t at all worried about what others might say. Seeing this child distressed and bothered by such a small matter, Wei Hui continued, “If you mind, I’ll tell Miss Du.”
“I don’t mind.” Eleven immediately replied, then blushed slightly and lowered her head: “I’m just afraid it will affect your reputation.”
Wei Hui parted her lips: “My reputation has always been bad, so it doesn’t matter.”
Actually, she was still lying. Her reputation was indeed bad, but only in the business world. In her private life, she was famously pure and unblemished. Otherwise, how could she become the object of desire for Jiangcheng’s playboys? But these things, she didn’t want to tell Eleven. Rather than confuse her over an unimportant reputation, it was better to let her be someone with a bad reputation.
After all, reputation wasn’t that important to her.
Thinking this, Wei Hui’s brow furrowed slightly, not because of her reputation, but because she realized that she had once again crossed a line in front of this child, and even explained so much. She shook her head. Eleven, seeing this, immediately asked concernedly, “What’s wrong, Third Miss?”
The small face that leaned in was full of worry, her sincere eyes dark and bright. Wei Hui stared at those eyes for a few seconds before saying, “Nothing.”
Eleven obediently hummed.
After telling Wei Hui what had just happened, Eleven felt the burden lifted from her heart, especially since Wei Hui had just said she didn’t mind. This even gave Eleven a subtle, indescribable hint of secret joy. Although she didn’t even know what she was happy about, she just wanted to smile for no reason.
Dinner was at the Du family’s residence. The Du family treated her and the Third Miss equally, taking great care of her at the dinner table. Du Yue Ming and Wei Hui were the same age, yet they had nothing to talk about, and Du Yue Ming only focused on talking to Eleven during the meal.
“Weekend? What are you doing this weekend?”
“I—nothing much.”
“Come out and play. I’m telling you, I recently found…”
Muttering sounds drifted from the side. Wei Hui sat next to Eleven, originally discussing the unfinished building project with Du Yuehan. Hearing Du Yue Ming’s voice, she was slightly distracted and didn’t speak for a while, until Du Yuehan called out, “CEO Wei?”
Wei Hui looked up: “Mm, I’ve noted everything CEO Du said. I’ll have Pei Tian send it to you later.”
Du Yuehan smiled: “Then I’ll trouble CEO Wei.”
The dinner was pleasant for both hosts and guests. Towards the end, Eleven saw the butler rush into the living room and whisper a few words into Du Yue Ming’s ear. Then Du Yue Ming stood up: “Not eating again?”
Her eyes were filled with displeasure. Old Master Du scolded: “Yue Ming, what are you doing? So ill-mannered?”
Du Yue Ming had lost her cheerful demeanor from the afternoon, her face frustrated: “Grandpa, my Sisi isn’t eating again.”
She nodded to everyone: “Excuse me, I need to step out for a bit.”
Old Master Du paused for a few seconds, waved his hand to the butler, then said to Wei Hui: “San’er, you’ve seen my folly. This child Yue Ming simply has no manners.”
Wei Hui shook her head and smiled: “It’s alright.”
When they left the Du family’s residence, Eleven didn’t see Du Yue Ming. She followed Wei Hui into the car. There was no conversation along the way. As they neared the Wei family home, Eleven’s phone vibrated. She glanced at Wei Hui and quietly opened it, seeing a message from Du Yue Ming: You left?
Eleven tilted her head slightly, thought for a while, and slowly replied: I went home.
Du Yue Ming: So early, huh.
Eleven lowered her eyes, remembering Du Yue Ming’s hurried departure before they left, and typed: Are you okay?
Du Yue Ming: Not really.
Eleven: What’s wrong?
Du Yue Ming: It’s nothing, never mind. Are you free this weekend to hang out?
The topic circled back here. Eleven instinctively looked at Wei Hui, meeting her gaze. The clear, cold eyes made Eleven immediately confess without being prompted: “It’s from Miss Du.”
Wei Hui’s expression was cold, and her voice carried a hint of frost: “What does she want now?”
Eleven, without hesitation, handed her phone to Wei Hui, her eyes full of trust. Wei Hui glanced at it, pushed her phone away, and asked, “Do you want to go?”
“No,” Eleven replied without hesitation, making Wei Hui frown: “Why not?”
Eleven closed her phone and softly said, “Because I don’t want to cause you any trouble.”
Everything she had now was given by Wei Hui. She knew that Du Yue Ming inviting her out was because of Wei Hui, so she didn’t want to go.
Wei Hui hadn’t expected this reason. Her beautiful eyes were slightly unfocused. After a few seconds, she said, “You don’t need to have that kind of worry.”
Eleven looked up at her profile. The car was dark, and the streetlights outside the window flickered into the car. She heard Wei Hui’s slightly lower voice say, “If you want to make friends, you can make them anytime.”
Eleven’s small face was bewildered: “You mean, I can go?”
Wei Hui turned to look at Eleven, her dark pupils appearing even clearer in the dim light. She said, “My point is, you are an independent person. I won’t interfere with your freedom. Whether you go or not, you make your own decision.”
The car fell silent because of her words.
Eleven thought seriously for a long time. Only when they got out of the car did she solemnly say to Wei Hui, “I’ve thought it through, Third Miss. Thank you.”
Her attitude was respectful. Wei Hui stared at Eleven, who was looking down, and suddenly asked, “Are you going?”
“I…”
Wei Hui interrupted her: “Never mind, you don’t need to answer me.”
Eleven was silent.